Manila: The National Food Authority (NFA) inaugurated its state-of-the-art post-harvest facility in Dumangas, Iloilo on Wednesday. The PHP350 million Modernized Rice Processing Center is part of the Masagana Agri-Food Infrastructure Modernization Program, a PHP93 billion flagship initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which aims to modernize post-harvest facilities nationwide.
According to Philippines News Agency, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the inauguration together with NFA Administrator Larry Lacson. Laurel emphasized that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. desires a modern, climate-resilient, and competitive agriculture sector. The project is the first to be completed among the 36 modernized post-harvest sites being rolled out nationwide and is expected to provide a reliable market for farmers while strengthening the government's buffer stocking program.
Two other facilities are being constructed in the town of Due±as and in Iloilo City's Jaro District. Laurel assured ongoing investments in mechanization, post-harvest facilities, irrigation, and other critical infrastructure to boost farmers' income and ensure the country's food security.
In a statement, Laurel highlighted that the grains hub will enhance local farmers' income through the agency's flexible palay procurement scheme. He noted that modern post-harvest facilities enable the NFA to procure more palay, reduce post-harvest losses, improve grain quality, and build stronger buffer stocks, thus ensuring rice affordability and availability, particularly during supply disruptions.
The modern facility is equipped with a warehouse containing a 10-ton-per-hour rice mill and a 240-ton-per-day mechanical grain dryer, enhancing the NFA's capacity to buy, dry, mill, and store palay. NFA Administrator Larry Lacson remarked that the Dumangas facility represents a significant upgrade in the agency's procurement operations in Western Visayas, describing it as a productivity and food security investment.
Iloilo OIC provincial agriculturist Geron Magbanua, present at the inauguration with Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., stated that the facility is expected to reduce post-harvest losses, improve grain quality, and enhance the competitiveness and income of rice farmers across the province. As the rice granary of Western Visayas, Iloilo produced 837,967.53 metric tons of palay in 2025, accounting for 56.4 percent of the region's total production.
Magbanua added that the facility's drying capacity reaches 120 metric tons of fresh palay per day with four mechanical dryers, and its rice mill can process 8 to 10 metric tons per hour, producing up to 1,024 bags of 50-kg milled rice daily. Once operational, the facility will benefit over 1,000 additional farmers, complementing the 804 rice farmers and 41 farmers' organizations currently served by the Dumangas Grains Center. This support extends to rice-producing areas including Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Due±as, Dumangas, Passi City, and San Enrique, which collectively produce approximately 4.85 million bags of palay annually.
